David Little (below right) has been the managing director of Poplars Garden Centre in Toddington, Bedfordshire since 1999 and is the fourth generation of the Little family to control the company, whose horticultural roots go back to the 1890s. Poplars receives visits from around a quarter of a million customers a year and turnover is in excess of £4 million. It is also a proud member of the both the HTA and GCA, of which David is an executive committee member and area chairman of the North Thames branch. Here David continues his contribution to our ‘view from the shop floor’ series.

This month my contribution doesn’t come from the shop floor – I thought I would share my experiences of the GCA’s annual gathering and bring to you a View from the Conference Floor.

For three days in late January, the GCA gathered at the Crowne Plaza Hotel near Chipping Norton;183 garden centre delegates representing 53 of the 82 member companies joined with 168 associate delegates from 78 manufacturers, suppliers and service provider companies for a conference of fun, friendship and fellowship. We came to learn from one another, to share experiences, see best practice and make new friends and acquaintances.

On Sunday afternoon the event kicked off with the inaugural Greenfingers Challenge Trophy Rugby match at Stow RFC Club. Garden centre buyers and their supplier’s representatives took to the field to thrash out new terms for 2011. I can report that there were, in my opinion, two winners; firstly the Greenfingers Charity that benefitted by a sum in excess of £16,000 and secondly all those who were involved and won new friendships (even if the final score showed a five-point victory to the suppliers!) 

Conference proper began on Monday morning and every session in the 300-capacity conference centre was packed out. After a brief AGM the GCA’s very own chief inspector Ian Boardman took the stage and began the countdown of the 50 best garden centres in the UK. He showed examples of stunning displays and immaculate retailing. The information and innovation just kept on coming and I’m sure I could hear 300 pens scribbling notes in perfect unison at one point. This is the GCA at its best: sharing ideas and raising standards even higher. In typical Boardman style Ian built up the excitement as we drew closer to finding out who was the garden centre at number one, the best of the best. As we approached the top 10 he stopped and promised to reveal the very best and the overall winners the next day. The identities of the 2010/2011 Garden Centre of the Year and Destination Garden Centre of the year would remain secret for another 24 hours.Roger Crookes then gave a fantastic reminder of the products that lie at the very heart of what we do: plants. This was a common theme throughout conference. He took us through the results of the GCA’s annual plant display competition. Once again we were treated to slides of the most stunning plant displays; those full of humour, information, education and above all inspiration.

Liz Hutson took us on a whistle-stop tour of the country’s finest garden centre Christmas displays and home living departments. The standards of display easily rival the very best on the high street. It was a reminder that we have some incredibly talented visual merchandisers working for us.The remainder of day one was filled with quality speaker after quality speaker. Everyone that took to the stage had something useful and valuable to say. I took most from Andrew McMillan who worked with John Lewis Partnership for 20 years before moving in to consultancy. His understanding of customer service and its importance was beautifully presented; I think most of us in the audience found ourselves nodding in agreement with his points. If we make our customers feel special, acknowledged and appreciated they will come back. Every customer has different needs and problems. Our staff must have the ability to put themselves in the customers place, understand their problem and be empowered to put things right, make things better and if possible make it memorable for all the right reasons.As evening approached, the new GCA Chairman, Dennis Espley from Squires Garden Centres, brought the proceedings to a close. I have to congratulate him on a day that was well planned and beautifully executed.

The fun - I mean ‘work’ - didn’t stop there. Monday night was associates night, a chance for garden retailers to meet with their suppliers and say thank you for their support. The exhibition was packed, with retailers and suppliers furiously swapping business cards and making appointments to discuss opportunities and I’m certain that many of those who met for the first time will rapidly become good friends. Old friendships and business relationships were rekindled and words of thanks, encouragement and support were exchanged between business partners stretching back almost to the very birth of garden centres. After dinner we were entertained by Mr Gardening himself – Alan Titchmarsh. Alan is a real gardener to his very core and his passion for plants and for the gardening industry was evident. I cannot think of another individual who has done more to promote plants and gardening. I know everyone in the room was thrilled to hear that he is coming back to the small screen to continue to educate and inspire all gardeners from novice to horticulturalist. Alan reminded me how important it is to introduce young children to gardening and inspire them. I took his words to heart and my personal challenge for 2011 is to introduce gardening to as many children as I can.

Day three opened with a presentation from our Italian colleagues who are hosting the next International Garden Centre Congress. The South Tyrol region looks a beautiful place to visit and I know the UK’s garden centres will once again send a large delegation.

Ian Boardman returned to the stage and continued the countdown of the UK’s best garden centres. I would like to congratulate Cowell’s and Bent’s Garden Centres who are leading the way and rightly deserve to be called the best. It was abundantly clear that both winners had highly motivated teams from top to bottom in their organisations. They know the benefits that high standards and awards bring to staff motivation, customer experience and ultimately the bottom line of their businesses. I was incredibly proud of my own team who collected the award for best outdoor living display (Garden Furniture and BBQ’s) and were recognised for the third year running as a Garden Centre of Excellence, coming 6th in the top 10. I’m not exaggerating when I say that tears of joy were shed when the team back at home found out. They are now motivated more than ever to see if we can climb any higher and I will support them as much as I can.

Christine Walkden took to the stage and I wish to thank her for giving my colleagues and I a good kick up the behind. She reminded us that at our very core we are plant retailers and repeatedly emphasised the word “garden” in “garden centre” to make her point. Although we sell a broad range of other products too, we must not forget we are serving the gardeners of our communities and not dilute our gardening offer too far. We can easily forget how intimidating our outlets can be for novice gardeners and those who’ve been inspired to have a go by the TV, internet, a magazine or a celebrity chef. Wherever a new customer finds inspiration, when they walk into a plant department and are confronted with plants displayed alphabetically by Latin name I can understand why they might feel intimidated. Christine reminded me how I feel when I go to the computer retailer and feel totally out of my depth. At Poplars we will find ways to educate, to inspire, to hold the customer’s hand and make a visit to the garden centre a warm and welcoming experience. 

The GCA conference is like taking a huge shot of adrenaline. I came away full of new ideas and motivated. I can’t wait for the sun to emerge, the temperatures to climb, the gardeners to come out from hibernation. I’m itching to get those new ideas turned into reality, to make improvements and do things even better. My thanks go to the organisers, the sponsors, the speakers and just as importantly the delegates who were so generous in the exchange of information throughout.